Clubbing together for a new stadium

THE Swinton Lions have raised almost £10,000 towards the first phase of their new stadium plans - by asking fans for donations. The club, who currently play at Sedgley Park, in Park Lane, Whitefield, need to raise £50,000 to fund a phase one planning application for a new home in Agecroft, Salford, and are asking fans to donate £250 or more towards the cause.

THE Swinton Lions have raised almost £10,000 towards the first phase of their new stadium plans - by asking fans for donations.

The club, who currently play at Sedgley Park, in Park Lane, Whitefield, need to raise £50,000 to fund a phase one planning application for a new home in Agecroft, Salford, and are asking fans to donate £250 or more towards the cause.

Each of the club’s four directors threw in £1,000 to kick start the collection, while a further £1,000 was pledged by the Supporters Trust.

Club coach Paul Kidd said: "So far we’ve raised just under £10,000 towards our target and that’s come from fans and the directors.

"It’s a big ask but it’s a massive thing to get a club like this back to its roots and we’re not big enough or wealthy enough to do it on our own.

"We want fans to dig deep and be generous in their donations to help us bring Swinton Lions back where they belong."

The club are hoping to secure the Lions a permanent home in Agecroft and have outlined plans for their new stadium.

The new development would be a community stadium with a 5,000 to 7,500 capacity and facilities could include a conferencing and banqueting area, medical clinics, educational facilities, as well as a gym.

The club hope other groups, such as Pendlebury United FC and other sports and community groups, could also be based in the Agecroft development, maximising the stadium’s use.

The club say that the stadium would be a modular construction, which allows for a quick build and future expansion if needed.

Providing plans are accepted the stadium could be built in 12 to 14 weeks with any further developments created a later date.

Talks with Salford City Council’s planning department have progressed and the next stage for the club is to submit their phase one plans.

Paul added: "We’re full steam ahead with everything we have to do to try and get the stadium plans going.

"We’ve had a number of meetings over the last few weeks with the planners, the consultants and the council and a lot of time and energy is being put into the project."